Lamar announced Nancy Evans' passing in a social media post Saturday morning, saying she had lost a "heroic battle with cancer."

"She has touched everyone on our campus and beyond with her generous spirit and her passion for sustainability," the post said. "The mark Nancy has left on LU will live on in the many activities and programs she created during the past five years the Evans' have lived in Beaumont."

In a statement, the university said Nancy Evans was born in 1949 and grew up in Menlo Park, California, which is south of San Francisco.

Nancy Evans was a teacher, working in California, Colorado, Arizona, Missouri and Oklahoma, the statement said.

Nancy and Ken Evans moved to Beaumont in 2013, when Ken Evans was hired as Lamar's president, replacing Jimmy Simmons, who retired.

Nancy Evans "enjoyed her new role as LU's First Lady and took on my projects, focusing on sustainability and landscaping needs across campus," the university said in its statement. "Nancy is responsible for the numerous bicycle racks added and gardens updated near many buildings at LU."

The statement said it was "not unusual to see her out weeding a garden in the Quad or near the Mary and John Gray Library when she was out on a walk and saw it needed to be done."

The Women and Philanthropy program started by Nancy Evans will be her legacy, the statement said.

"This unique offering at LU was a way to bring women together and learn more about ways to give, to manage their money and to become closer to their communities," according to Lamar. "Each semester a luncheon was held featuring a timely speaker centered on various topics of interest as well as a members-only event."

In addition to her husband, Nancy Evans is survived by the couple's two sons, Paul and Brian, and three grandchildren.

Lamar asks the the community remember the Evans family in their prayers, but to respect their privacy as they grieve.